Publication: CalMAtters

UCLA Expert: Daniel Swain: Assistant Researcher and Climate Specialist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Synopsis: Just last summer, with California still experiencing a years-long drought, a major study warned about the state’s vulnerability to a huge flood similar to one that occurred in 1862.

UCLA News: “We find that climate change has already increased the risk of a (1862) megaflood scenario in California, but that future climate warming will likely bring about even sharper risk increases,” the study declared. Researchers Xingying Huang and Daniel Swain said such an event “would likely produce widespread, catastrophic flooding and subsequently lead to the displacement of millions of people, the long-term closure of critical transportation corridors and ultimately to nearly $1 trillion in overall economic losses.”

Read more at CalMAtters.